One of my friends and neighbors is from
Hokkaido and recently took her two children up there to visit Grandma for a month (their dad is training to be a train driver at the moment and he's working odd hours). They returned a couple of weeks ago with
yokan in hand, which of course immediately went into my tummy, where all good snacks belong. Yokan is jellied sweet red beans, thicker than American-style jello (and much yummier in my humble opinion). It's usually served in a block and sliced, but these particular ones were like push-up popsicles (no brain-freeze involved, though, thank goodness).
I know it looks like these puppies are skyscrapers and I took the photo from a helicopter, but I must say the reality is a bit more prosaic: They're about the height of a finger and they're sitting on top of our air-conditioner compressor on our teeny-tiny balcony! So now you know my special photography secrets. Shhh, don't tell anyone!
I know it looks like these puppies are skyscrapers and I took the photo from a helicopter, but I must say the reality is a bit more prosaic: They're about the height of a finger and they're sitting on top of our air-conditioner compressor on our teeny-tiny balcony! So now you know my special photography secrets. Shhh, don't tell anyone!
I have no idea what these beans are but seeing the jars I have a question just out of curiosity. Can u read Japanese?
ReplyDeleteI never knew what yokan was before I came to Japan, either, but I had been to a Vietnamese restaurant in Florida (where I'm from) and had ordered a coconut milk drink with black beans and little pieces of green jellied bean paste, so it's a bit similar to that.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can read some Japanese! I'm not great at things like tax forms, but I can do OK with food and e-mails and things.